3 Ways Not To “Pitch” When Social Selling

It got me thinking about how sales professionals routinely fall into the trap of giving a speech about the features of our products and services (with a smattering of benefits). And as you start using social media more as a part of your sales routine, there are some ways you shouldn’t pitch.

Watch this video to learn more.

1. Go For The Touchdown, Not The Hail Mary Pass.

Your goal should be helping prospects and future buyers through their buying journey. The more you bombard them with feeds and speeds, the more you’re going to keep them away from you. I know it’s easier to follow a very rigid sales process but if someone isn’t really qualified, what help will it be to send them information they’re not looking for?

Moreover, put yourself in the shoes of the buyer. When is the last time you reacted positively to information you didn’t need? Think of all of those flyers and direct mail pieces you’re sent that end up in the trash can (or recycling bin if you’re green). Similarly, buyers just won’t action anything they’re not ready for.

Instead, be mindful of the buyer’s digital social breadcrumbs. They’re leaving clues for us everywhere. Use that to customize messages and send targeted information that will interest them. Buyers will always qualify themselves!

2. Messaging Should be Social, Not “Salesy”.

A lot of times us sales pros are confused about what to say, how to say it, and just the overall delivery of a message. There are no silver bullets in this. You’ll have to practice, tweak, revise and perfect...over TIME. Experience and time should be embraced as your best friends.

From all of the messages we’ve seen, ones that typically work on social media are casual and friendly. Messages that include helpful information that drive a positive next-step are great conversation starters.

The part that you need to thoroughly internalize and be comfortable with is that it may take more steps than what you’re accustomed to; but in the end you’ll convert MANY more prospects than you’ve ever thought of before.

3. Share Content to EDUCATE, Not To “Close”.

This one requires some faith on your part. Just because you share content doesn’t mean you’ll end up landing deals. In training tens of thousands of sales pros, one underlying theme we’ve noticed is impatience. We’re all built for instant gratification and anything short of that we toss to the side. Don’t make that mistake with social selling. Instant gratification is the enemy of progress and will warp your ability to do wonderful work!

That said, don’t overshare your company’s content (unless it’s world class and bleeding edge around education). Most of us work for companies whose content is…let’s just say “feature rich”. Even some of the best Fortune 500 companies in the world haven’t yet acknowledged the fact that this type of content makes the buyer more resistant!

If that is the case, then find third party content that will help your buyer.

The Bottom Line

As you read this you’ll likely have spotted the running theme: always help buyers. The more you make it about them and less about you, the more visibility you gain. This visibility will eventually transform into solid relationship currency which you can spend later. The key is later. Remove instant gratification from your expectations and you’ll be more balanced and focused on the help.

The results will come, I promise you.

Need some help on how to craft this into a practical next step? Reach out using the button below and I’ll be happy to share some time and resources with you to get you to the next level. Yep, that’s me helping!